A BEIRUT BOMBING COULD HAPPEN AGAIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000605700017-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 2, 2010
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: May 18, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/09/02 :CIA-RDP90-005528000605700017-7
ARTIrLF :~?^i" "~t~ --"~.,+ vs~' TonAY
18 rsAY 1883
- - _-
THE ~JE:7'ERRORtSM
Robert 11L Siyr+e, 58,
is coordinator. for se+curi-
tyPolicies and programs
and director of the office
SAYRE: We got a lot of intel-
ligence and a lot of reports
from a lot of places on threat
to American interest, not only
in Lebanon, but in other places.
But I do not recall any spedfic
warning by the Israelis of as at-
tael+ agairLSt Americans in Lei}
anon.
bombing of the American was necessary to o by ir+eeaarice journalist {~;
Embassy 3n Beirut, did you .this type of office? Staley ~L B/ttm Robert M Sa
restive any intelligence from SAY :The inter-de
the Isratlis? SAY12E~ Tae etF,ee avwc nr. - Part- -
f or combatting terrorism
at the US. State Depart-
merit..A career fo-,eigre
service affioer, he was
an ambassador in chi~-
guay, Panama and Bra-
zrT. He is an economist
artd a member of the bar
of the District of Cocum-
USA TODAY: Prior to the State Deparmoent reel that ~ bin. He was interviewed
A Benvt bombing
could happen again
USA TODAY: TDe steps
that you have takes so far -
woWd they prevent another
Beirut from happening?
SAYRE: It is almost lmpoesi-
Dle. If somebody is prepared to
give hL life and to drive a
truckload of dynamite up in
front of a building sad let him-
self be detonated with the
truck - it is almost impossible
to prevent that because it only
takes five ~or ten seconds to do
it.
USA TODAY: Is there any
likelihood that something like
STAT the Iranian hostage situation
could occur again?
SAYR~E: Well, you know
once someone sets a precedent
like that, there !s always a pos-
SibWty that it can be repeated.
USA TODAY: Wby did the
gaNzed in 1973 as a result of ...""`" b' ""r ""'11?" a" O1
the.rrrassacre of the Israeli nth- :the agencies that would have a There are very few c8,q~ when
letes in Munich; there was also ~o~~ for terrorism - they do not help?us out and do
a feeling on the part of me ;the Deparhnent of State, the what they are supposed to do.
Department of Treasury the With
United States government that Federal Bureau of Inv ' _ r~Pect to the exchange
f i
ntelligence, that is a daily
there really had to be an inter- tio4 the Central Irate ~ .. o
national response to these ' lltgence ~~?
kinds of problems and that the I ~~', the Department of De`
United States had an obligation , f~' and so on. VJe also have,
to take the leadership in doing 85 asub-committee of our in-
this. We are in the process or ter-departmental group, one
reorganization because I really that looks at the intelligence
have two jobs I am the chatr- problem and works on it; that
man of the Inter-Depar~neatal Pear subcommittee has
Group on Terrorism, which on it all the intelligence agen-
deaLs with international termer- ces of the United States gov-
ism. Also, I am chairman of the I ernment
State Department's policy USA TODAY: Does the
group on securities polices 'State Department receive the
and prop'ams. We are trying to cooperation of foreign gov-
tie these two things together. ernmeats in preventing and
USA TODAY: How does
your office function?
SAYRE: We try to develop
policies, which are acxepted
throughout the United States
government, on how we deal
with terrorism issues, both do-
mestically sad in foreign ai-
tairs. Then we try to assure
that the United States govern-
ment is ready to deal with
these problems across the
board.
USA TODAY: Does your of-
fice exchange information
with other US. intelligence
agencies?
combatting terrorism?
SAYRE: For our diplomats
overseas, ft is the obligation of
the foreign government, under
the Vienna Convention, to Dr'0?
Tex:[ Our Personnel, sad f0
governments do quite wel
that. They are very respo
USA TODAY: Can you re.
call an fnstance of bow for
eign iateWgence prevented
an act of violence aga}ast
can personnel or prop-
SAYRE: I think the best ex-
ample of how a foreign l~overn-
menthas made a martirrrum ef-
fort, using not only it police re-
sources but all of -its
intelligence resources,?was the
recovery of Gen. Dozier in Ita-
ly. That just has to be regarded
as a very outstar-ding effort on
the part of the Italian govern-
ment, using every capacity it
had to get back an American
who was working for NATO.
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